A semiconductor component package (a “chip,” such as a central processing unit (CPU) package, for example) may, through its operations, generate a significant amount of thermal energy, or heat. Accordingly, without the use of a heat sink, a heat exchanger, to aid in removing thermal energy from the semiconductor component package, the temperature of the package may rise outside of an optimal operating range.
A heat sink has features to facilitate the transfer of thermal energy from a semiconductor component package to the surrounding environment to regulate the temperature of the package. The heat sink may be constructed from a material that has a relatively large thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum, for purposes of enhancing the conduction of thermal energy from the semiconductor component package, and the heat sink may have geometrical features to enhance the transfer of thermal energy through convection to the surrounding environment. For example, the heat sink may have parallel fins that extend outwardly from a base plate of the heat sink and create a relatively large surface area to enhance the convection transfer. To thermally couple heat sink to the semiconductor component package, the heat sink may have a column, or pedestal, which extends inwardly from the base plate of the heat sink toward an outer surface of the semiconductor component package.
A deformable and thermally conductive material, called a “gap pad,” may be disposed between the end surface of the pedestal and the outer surface of the semiconductor component package. The gap pad bridges a space, or gap, that exists between the end surface of the pedestal and the outer surface of the semiconductor component package. This gap may be present for purposes of accommodating stack-up tolerances that are associated with the mounting of the package and/or heat sink.